River is only 16 on the terrible day that steals her mother away. Listlessly going through the motions, her dad (Sal Galofaro) is unable to shake himself out of his grief long enough to give her what she needs. Then Marcus (My Brilliant Career’s William McKenna) skids into her life on his battered bike. He’s a scrapper who holds everyone at arm’s length. Their hook-up under a concrete bridge is far from the stuff of teen romance. But even as he puts up barriers, a chink in his armour allows just enough room for them both to explore what the future might look like. Also featuring Lesbian Space Princess (AFF 2025) and The Pitt star Shabana Azeez alongside Mr Inbetween’s Justin Rosniak, writer-director Zane Borg’s deeply affecting feature is one of the most accomplished Australian films in recent memory, inspired by the loss of their mother. “River is a film for the grieving, for those who feel as lost as I once did, a hand to hold through this strange, motherless existence,” Borg says.